Boscola bar dispute ends up on Facebook

A Lehigh Valley lawmaker acknowledged being asked to leave a Harrisburg bar after a discussion she described as "animated."

KURT BRESSWEIN

A Lehigh Valley lawmaker acknowledged being asked to leave a Harrisburg bar after a discussion she described as "animated."

State Sen. Lisa Boscola denies claims, first reported on a statewide political website, that she struck a woman at the Brick Haus bar, according to a Boscola spokeswoman.

Boscola, D-Lehigh/Monroe/Northampton, issued a statement regarding "media inquiries concerning an incident" at a local Harrisburg bar.

"There are differing perceptions of the heated conversation. I had an animated discussion with members of the General Assembly and Republican House leadership about issues under discussion in both the Senate and House. The conversation was both frank and passionate as I made my positions known," according to the statement.

"Admittedly, the tone and level of discussion may have been uncomfortable for those engaged and others nearby. As a result, I was asked to leave and I complied without incident."

Boscola herself did not immediately return a call for comment.

According to an Associated Press story, Boscola told the Philadelphia Inquirer that she fights back with words when legislative leaders are condescending to her.

Stacey Witalec, spokeswoman for the Senate Democratic Caucus, said she issued the statement after differing accounts surfaced of the exchange in a "very public setting."

Asked whether Boscola struck a woman, Witalec said, "I can tell you that she stands behind the statement that we gave you. We've heard a number of different things and that's why the senator wanted to be clear."

The Brick Haus' owner declined, through a bartender, to comment.

According to a post on politicspa.com, a woman named Emilie Claire Benuck claimed in a Facebook post that Boscola "hit me at the brickhaus for no reason and then was escorted out." She declined to comment further when reached.

According to an account from the Philadelphia Inquirer, Boscola was having a heated conversation with Republican House Speaker Sam Smith, and had a separate run-in with a woman who was at the bar with a lobbyist. In an interview, Boscola acknowledged she was asked to leave the bar, but said she did not strike anyone, the newspaper reported.

Boscola, while in office, was charged with drunken driving in July 2000 on Interstate 78 in Berks County. She entered the Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition program that expunged the crime from her record.